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Say hello to the real nuke that can destroy the earth. Draco Meteor hits so damn hard, 2HKOing some steel types after SR and Spikes. Surf is your ticket past heatran, and is a lovely thing to clean up lategame with. Psyshock can 2HKO Blissey and even Chansey after hazards. HP Fire nails Ferrothorn and Jirachi, who could beat you otherwise. Trick, however, lets you cripple blobs and Ferrothorn, but it could still setup hazards...

Latios hits like a nuke, especially with a Soul Dew backing it up. Draco Meteor is powerful and destroys pokémon like Reshiram and Rayquaza and is a powerful battering ram to weaken Giratina. Dragon Pulse is late game sweeping. Thunder is good in rain to hit Kyogre and stuff, and Psyshock is there to hit Chansey. Hidden Power Fire is Latios' best bet against Ferrothorn, especially with Groudon support. Modest is chosen as even with Modest you still outrun the majority of Ubers, like Jolly Rayquaza. Timid allows you to outrun neutrally natured Arceus and speed tie with other Lati twins but nothing else.

Mixed Latios is fun to use, mostly because, with a bit of good prediction, this set can easily deal with Heatran, and wear down Jirachi with Earthquake, while still spamming Draco Meteors left and right. Psyshock gets around the pink blobs, while Hidden Power Fire is for Steels not named Heatran. EVs allow you to outrun Terrakion and Keldeo, while still boosting attack slightly.

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Easy enough, Draco Meteor for the best STAB move, Surf and HP Fire for coverage against steel types, Psyshock to easily damage the blobs, Trick to mess a troll up and Thunderbolt for Gyarados, Flying types mostly..

Scarf Latios makes a good revenge killer. Trick can be used to screw up walls like Ferro and Pink Blobs. Psyshock is used to hit fighting types and pink blobs again, but Psychic can be used if you want higher base power. Draco Meteor just blows stuff apart. And the last slot is on your choice. HP Fire breaks steels and Ferro, while Thunderbolt gets good coverage on Jellycent. Surf CN be used if you're particularly worried about Tran.

Counters
Scizor : If the opposing Latios doesn't carry HP Fire, its pretty much a Pursuit kill there. Beware of Trick
Pink Blobs : Blissey can come in on a DM and force a switch, it's 'eh'. Personally, I feel that vs Latios Chansey does better, since it can take Psyshock more easily. However, both should beware trick.
Tyranitar: Brings trouble to Latios if Latios is choice locked into Psyshock. Even if it isn't, Tyranitar still has the bulk from sandstorm to take Surf and bring Latios down with a Pursuit or Crunch.
Bulky Water: Specially defensive ones are best. Gastrodon doesnt take much from Latios's moves. Nor does Jellucent. beware Psyshock and T-bolt for the latter though.

This set is incredibly underrated. However, it can act as one of the deadliest sweepers in the game. With an already great 110 Spe, Latios already outspeeds a good portion of the unboosted meta. After a boost, it reaches Specs level power, and after 2 boosts, it becomes nearly unstoppable. The only things that can take him down at +2 are faster pokes who can hit it hard and super effectively with a physical move. Keep in mind that specially oriented moves won't be doing much damage either. Dragon Pulse provides a nice, consistent STAB. Surf gives it almost perfect neutral coverage, only missing out on Ferrothorn and Empoleon. Roost is to heal off damage and can be very helpful when running a LO. I, personally, prefer Lum Berry for its utility and ability to give Latios an extra boost sometimes, but the choice between the two items should be purely opinionated.

If I said Latios is powerful, I wouldn't be telling the full truth. Latios is a scary foe to face thanks to the fact that he is no longer in the Uber tier. In OU, Soul Dew is illegal. Honestly, who cares? Latios is still super-dangerous.
Latios is not without problems. Without Hidden Power, Ferrothorn can switch in on Latios safely. Same goes for Scizor (sort of). Latios's Psychic typing is a big problem because it exposes him to Pursuit from the aforementioned Scizor and Tyranitar. However, don't let that keep you from using the male Eon Pokemon. Latios's Draco Meteor will rain destruction on everything.

Overused
Latios has been at the top of the game since its introduction, and still has great potential in it. Boasting an excellent special attack, great speed, and even good special defense, it is one of the best special attackers in the whole game. Its Draco Meteor is tied for the most powerful in OU with Kyurem, who has fallen mostly out of favor. Almost anything will take ~50% from it. To top it off, it's ability, levitate, gives it many free opportunities to switch in.

So you might ask "Why isn't this thing banned?" The answer? Well, there is a few things that hold it back. The first is after it has nuked something with Draco Meteor, it is very easy to revenge kill. The second reason adds to the first, as both Tyranitar and Scizor are two of these Pokemon that revenge it, even OHKOing it if it switches out with Pursuit. The third and fourth reasons are that it has a fairly small movepool, forcing it to use Hidden Power Fire or Surf to reliably hit any Steel-types, and its low defense stat leaves it vulnerable to powerful physical attacks, particularly priority. While Latios has some shortcomings, when used correctly, it becomes a deadly sweeper that will cause havoc to almost any team.

The most common Latios in OU use Choice Specs or Scarf to serve different purposes. Choice Specs gives it immediate power, making Draco Meteor the terror that most players expect, while Choice Scarf makes it a powerful revenge killer, distinguishing it from others by being able to outpace even +2 Cloyster. Psyshock hits special walls harder than its other moves, while Hidden Power Fire and Surf hit the steel-types that resist Draco Meteor and Psyshock. Trick can be used over either of them to cripple Ferrothorn, Chansey, or Blissey. If on a Rain team, Thunder could even be used in the third slot to hit Jellicent, Vaporeon, and Starmie without resorting to Draco Meteor.

This Latios takes on a more sweeping role, exchanging power or speed for the ability to switch moves. Due to this, having Thunder is a safer option, as being locked into it when your opponent changes the weather can put you in bad situations. Recover is the main option for the last slot to heel off damage from Life Orb and other damage it takes.

Latios' makes a great set-up sweeper thanks to its great speed and special attack. Using Calm Mind also prevents it from being revenge killed so easily with special hits. With Life Orb after a Calm Mind, Dragon Pulse has almost the same power as a Life Orb Draco Meteor, except this Latios has a bit more staying power, not having to switch out as often.

Although at first it sounds a bit strange, Latios' great Speed, decent Special Defense, and access to Memento make it a great Dual Screen supporter for the team. Draco Meteor still hits fairly hard even with no investment, and Memento can allow a teammate to come in safely and set up.

Teammates
Latios generally likes teammate such as Scizor, Terrakion, and Keldeo, as if you predict correctly, you can switch Latios out as your opponent switches in Tyrantar or their own Scizor, and eliminate them with one of the mentioned teammates. (When taking on Scizor, only Keldeo can take it on.) Magnezone is another good partner that can trap and kill Scizor and other Steel-types that give Latios trouble. Gyarados (particulary with Intimidate) can take on priority users that Latios fears, such as Mamoswine, Scizor, and even Lucario to an extent. Politoad gives Latios Rain, which powers up Surf and gives Thunder perfect accuracy, so it is a valuable teammate.

Other Options
Latios can also run a mixed or even a completely special Dragon Dance set. This set allows the freedom to switch moves while being hard to revenge kill. Other than this, Latios has a fairly barren movepool. Hidden Power Fighting is its best option against Tyranitar, but it is still fairly weak against other targets.

Checks & Counters
With Mammoth Special Defense and immunity to Psyshock, Tyranitar is arguably the best Latios counter out there. Although it takes over 50% from a Life Orb Draco Meteor, Latios can't KO it after that, while Tyranitar can Pursuit it as it switches out. Tyranitar's partner in crime, Scizor, can do a similar job, even avoiding the OHKO from Hidden Power Fire after Draco Meteor's stat drops. Yet another pursuit user that threatens Latios after it has used Draco Meteor is Metagross. Specially Defensive Jirachi can paralyze and wear it down, making it a good check. Finally, faster Pokemon or priority users can revenge Latios. Notable example include Weavile, Mamoswine, and Choice Scarf Salamence.

Uber
With the return of the Soul Dew, Latios became much more popular, even to the point that Garchomp was forced down into OU. Soul Dew gives Latios the highest Special Attack in the game. Think of it like Choice Specs, except with the freedom to switch moves. It also give Latios a boast to its special defense, allowing it to survive some of the powerful special attacks in Ubers. Combine that with great speed, and you have an unmatched special sweeper on your hands. However, its physical defense is still quite low, especially for ubers, and its movepool is small, so it is not perfect. When played to its strengths though, it can show its monstrous attacking power to rival the titans that roam ubers.

Over Top Calm Mind (yu-gi-oh 5d's reference)
Item: Haban Berry/Life Orb
EV's 252 sp. atk/ 6 hp/ 252 speed
nature: Timid
Moves:
Draco Meteor: with calm mind and life orb you can help reduce the downside of meteor.
Psyschock/Psychic: Psychic for pure power or Psyshock to hit Blissey hard.
Calm Mind: raise your sp. atk and sp. defense so Latios can survive and hit a bit more.
Surf/Hidden Power Fire 70/Thunderbolt: Surf can hit rock and ground types hard while hidden power fire 70 can take care of ice types and thunderbolt is to help against water types besides Swampert, Lanturn, Ludicolo, Seismitoad, and Quagsire.
The items are up to you whether you want to survive a little bit or hit a bit harder.

When people think of a special sweeper, Latios is the first pokemon to come to mind. Fantastic Speed and Special Attack, along with a great movepool and even the chance to sweep with Dragon Dance, paired with great typing and Levitate makes this pokemon one of the deadliest ever. That being said, he's mostly used Choiced, generally with the Choice Scarf, and just spams Draco Meteors to dent every pokemon in existence. Countering it is just a matter of Heatran or Ferrothorn; the super-jet can't really touch them.

Heck, yes, Latios! I think this Dragon's been praised to death by now, but with good reason. Powerful Special Attack, good Speed, and a combination of two of the more powerful types in the game, what isn't there to like about him? Also, in my opinion Heroes was one of, if not the, best Pokemon movie ever made.

And let's hear it for a bit of Latin for the POTW! I'll say it right here and now once only, this moveset is bordering on gimmick and should only be used for the right reasons to be given shortly; if you want a more serious moveset, there's about a dozen already posted above me. Now that that's out of the way, time for the analysis. Dragon Pulse is for reliable STAB while Draco Meteor is a Gundam wielding a nuke launcher when used by Latios. I prefer Pulse myself, especially with the items (see item description for more). Psyshock is STAB that allows Latios to thrash certain Pokemon who'd consider themselves 'counters' or at least checks; Blissy being the first to come to mind, a vast plethora of Calm Mind users coming second. The last two moves are what are making this set borderline if not gimmick; Latios itself isn't particularly hurt or helped by Weather (unlike, for example, Venusaur) so it can be slapped onto a Sun or Rain team without much trouble. This moveset is designed to make Latios a formidable Sun team sweeper/protector. Thunder/bolt is what makes Latios a Sun team protector; you should be outrunning Politoad most of the time so one blast of lightning will take it down, allowing you to control the Weather for the rest of the game. The choice in attacks depends on how confident you are in keeping the rain away for the match; Thunder if you don't think you can get rid of the rain early, Thunderbolt if you think you can. It's also your best bet to damage Steel types. Solarbeam is for when the sun is out and you don't want to waste a Dragon Pulse/Draco Meteor on some lowly Water type. Except for something like Kabutops, your Dragon-typed Attack will usually be stronger, but why waste it on a lower priority target when you've got a Super Effective Base 120 power attack to use? Also helpful against any Ground or Rock types on opposing Sun teams who think to counter your source of Sun.
For Items, Soul Dew gets first mention. 50% boost to your Special Attack and Special Defense with no drawbacks? Yes please! Well, okay, partial lie there; it's drawback is that it's illegal to use in OU, thus why the standard choice of items are presented; take your pick, you know what they do already. If you decide to use one of the Choice Items, Draco Meteor becomes more usable since you'll have to switch out anyways due to the Special Attack drop.
EVs, self-explanitory, Natures same except I have to laugh at the thought of Latios needing a Timid nature when it clearly isn't a timid sort of Pokemon like I did for Mewtwo's entry.
Levitate is the only Ability Latios gets but it's all Latios needs; you get all the key benefits of a Flying type (immunity to Ground attacks, Toxic Spikes, Arena Trap) without the drawbacks (weakness to Rock, including Stealth Rock).

Partners: As I've said repeatedly, this moveset was designed to support a Sun team. In OU, Ninetales is less a partner and more a necessity. Remember, if you're using this Latios over any of the equally if not more feasible movesets above it's because you are running a Sun team. In Ubers, Groudon instead of Ninetales but the story is the same; you are using this set to protect your source of Sun and trying to abuse the Sun yourself.

Other Options: Hidden Power (Fire) is exclusively for Steel types, and outside of Thunder/bolt, you don't have much else that'll do that job. Surf slays Heatran and gets a good hit on other Steel types since most don't resist Water...if you use it, drop Solarbeam and while you're at it stop building a Sun team. Energy Ball has a chance to lower the foe's Special Defense and hits Vaporeon and Manaphy harder than Grass Knot (which hits Groudon, Kyogre, and Tyranitar harder without any extra benefits) will; pick the Grass type attack that handles the threats you otherwise will have trouble with. Recover is a free 50% HP recovery (obviously don't use with Choice Scarf/Specs). Memento...I hate the idea of building up a cool Pokemon like Latios with the full intention of sacrificing it but if your other three attacks handle the coverage you need while your teammates can take care of everything else, run it; it'll make that Scizor or Tyranitar regret trying to counter you while giving you a chance to set up whatever you send in next (again, don't use with Choice Items; better with Life Orb than Soul Dew since you'll already be killing yourself with the recoil).

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♥I believe in Jesus Christ as my Savior. If you do too and aren't scared to admit it, then copy and paste this in your signature.♥

I don't calculate stat values, I don't use cheating devices, I don't breed my way to perfection, and I don't care about natures. I catch my Pokemon the way they are, and treat them like individuals instead of brainless drones. If you use this philosophy, copy & paste this into your signature. (Started by Tyranitar, "I don't use "uber" Pokemon," edited out by me because I do use "uber" Pokemon on occasion.)

Over Top Calm Mind (yu-gi-oh 5d's reference)
Item: Haban Berry/Life Orb
EV's 252 sp. atk/ 6 hp/ 252 speed
nature: Timid
Moves:
Draco Meteor: with calm mind and life orb you can help reduce the downside of meteor.
Psyschock/Psychic: Psychic for pure power or Psyshock to hit Blissey hard.
Calm Mind: raise your sp. atk and sp. defense so Latios can survive and hit a bit more.
Surf/Hidden Power Fire 70/Thunderbolt: Surf can hit rock and ground types hard while hidden power fire 70 can take care of ice types and thunderbolt is to help against water types besides Swampert, Lanturn, Ludicolo, Seismitoad, and Quagsire.
The items are up to you whether you want to survive a little bit or hit a bit harder.

Just so you know, Draco Meteor is still very counterproductive to Calm Mind, and Latios won't find many chance to boost other than right after it switches in.

As an Ubers player, Latios is a huge threat that every team should be prepared for. Personally, I like the all out attacking set, as I think CM as well as the more defensive sets are handled a bit better by Latias. Latios is at its best when it's playing hit and run with its immensely powerful Draco Meteor backed by coverage moves for most potential switch-ins. This and the fact that Latios can outspeed every other dragon in the tier (barring Arceus-Dragon) make it an excellent offensive pivot.

Choose between Thunder/Grass Knot and Surf/HP Fire based on what weather you're using. Latios works great on a Rain team as a check to opposing Kyogre (if you're using Latios as your primary Kyogre check, I'd recommend using Roost) as well as Groudon if you come in on the right move. On a neutral weather team, HP Fire is definitely preferable as otherwise Ferrothorn and Forretress can ruin your fun. The last move slot depends on what you want you need Latios to do for your team. Roost is best if you plan to use Latios frequently as a defense check. Psyshock has a lot of utility in Ubers for hitting Ho-oh and the Pink Blobs a lot harder, so if you're team struggles with them it's a good option. Otherwise, Dragon Pulse is a safe option to avoid having to switch out due to Draco Meteor's Sp. Atk drop.

PS: For the counters section, defensive utility Arceus-Steel is something I've used for the purpose of stopping Latios with fairly consistent success. HP Fire in Sun stings but other than that it generally gets the job done with TWave and Ice Beam or just force it out with Roar/Perish Song.

Last edited by RVD_fan; 21st April 2013 at 11:32 PM.

Defeated Super Single Subway Master Ingo - August 19th, 2013

Searching for: Litwick - Near Perfect IVs, Manetric (Shiny) - Good IVs, Switcheroo
Can offer high IV'd Bagons, Digletts, and Darumakas, as well as DWs, Pokerus, and more, PM me if interesting in negotiating.

Latios... My favorite of the two eons as I always tend to love attackers more than defenders. Latios has a ton of good reasons to use it but there are still a few flaws in it.

The cons: Latios's most famous feature is it's special attack stat... Backed with good speed and soul dew, it can fire off explosive attacks that will hurt even the ones who resists them... I've been swept a lot of times with latios sadly to the point that I had to put a counter especially for it. latios's other major selling point is it's looks... (haha... just kidding).

The bad: Latios's major flaw for me is it's typing... While it does offer some attacking coverage but Dragon/psychic is not the best defensively as neither types interfere with each other resistances and weaknesses to cancel each other out... Which means that it has weaknesses to dragon, ice, bug, dark and ghost and resists psychic, fighting, electric, grass, fire and water... Although there are not 4x weaknesses it is so easy to figure out it's weaknesses. It's movepool give this pokemon some hard time as it's limited options force latios to be predictable and easily walled by the proper pokemon.

It's ability levitate is not that bad but not extremely good as_for me_if a pokemon was not weak to ground type attacks, there will always be a better ability for the pokemon... a very good ability on rotom heat but wasted on rotom fan or mow! This is my thought... Some will say any immunity is good but latios's defenses are good enough to let it survive a non SE hit!

Always prepare your team to face this pokemon in OU or in Uber's... If this pokemon is used on a rain team with surf... Better have a rain dish or water absorb pokemon that can take the hit!
Good luck!

Cool, Latios. He wields awesome Dragon typing as well as the item Soul Dew, which is basically a free Calm Mind. However, the huge power creep of 5th gen brought him down to OU, where he resides as one of the main powerhouses of the entire tier. Removing Soul Dew, however, almost permanently removing his coveted Soul Dew. BW2 brought it back, where he's back in Ubers. Latios is a huge threat worth looking out for.

Here we go, the standard Latios. Draco Meteor will probably be the move of choice, destroying anything in its path, especially with Choice Specs. However, if you don't like the Sp. Attack drop, Dragon Pulse is for you. There's a huge power difference, though. Surf and HP Fire are necessities, becuase they're the only ways Latios can dent Tyranitar and Steel-types, respectively. You have a couple more options for the last slot. Psyshock is Latios' best move to remove Blissey, the premier special wall, and Virizion, whose Sp. Defense is high enough to take a Draco Meteor or HP Fire . If you've got Specs, you can Trick it onto another Pokemon, Blissey once again coming to mind. If you've got Life Orb, you can opt for Recover, which helps Latios stay on the field even longer.

Now you're probably thinking "What the heck is Dragon Dance doing on Latios?
Well, we don't care about the Attack boost, but the Speed! Latios can't outspeed Choice Scarf users without equipping one of its own. In Ubers, the Choice Scarf really hinders its power. Dragon Dance fixes this. With the Speed boost and Soul Dew, Latios can wreck the tier. Dragon Pulse will hit as hard as Draco Meteor would in OU thanks to the Soul Dew. This is Ubers, so if you like the raw power of Thunder, that's for you. It hits Manaphy and other Water-types that are too light to be hit by Grass Knot, and Lugia as well. It also turns into a 100% accuracte move in rain. However, Grass Knot hits Kyogre and Groudon, two extremely ubiquitous Pokémon in Ubers. It's not weather-reliant, either. The rest are up to whatever weather you want (Surf for rain and HP Fire for sun), or if your team has trouble with the pink blobs.

Other Options
Physical Dragon Dance, Psychic, Hidden Power Fighting

Latios could go physical with Dragon Dance, running Earthquake, Dragon Claw, and Recover. However, it's overshadowed by other physical Dragons like Dragonite and Salamence.Psychic is stronger than Psyshock and hits Conkeldurr, but it leaves Latios walled by the pink blobs.HP Fighting is specifically for Tyranitar and it still hits Ferrothorn super effectively, but other Steel-types like Skarmory and Forretress will still wall it.

Doubles and Triples
Latios would actually be a great choice for Doubles (for all you VCG players). It's got Tailwind to support its teammates and it can keep up the offensive momentum.

Teammates and Counters
The main counter that comes to mind is Tyranitar in OU. Pursuit will trap it, and Surf won't OHKO because of the Sp. Defense boost from the sandstorm it brings. A Pokémon like Lucario or Dugtrio would be ideal to keep Tyranitar at bay. Neither of them can directly switch in, however. If you want a sturdier counter, look for Conkeldurr. Latios also has trouble with Scizor. Although Latios can easily OHKO with HP Fire, Scizor can survive in rain and respond with its choice of U-turn, Bullet Punch, or Pursuit. Pokémon that can take on Scizor are strong Fire types like Infernape or Ninetales. Even though Latios has Psyshock to put the hurt on the pink blobs, packing a Fighting-type would be a wise choice.

Opinion
Latios is one of my favorite Pokémon. I'm glad I was able to do an analysis for him!

Prediction for next week: Blastoise

Last edited by FantasyLegend; 27th April 2013 at 2:03 AM.

I have claimed the 'CHU'S!

Spoiler:- Fantasy's Wall Of Quotes:

Is it possible that there are no coincidences?
One hundred victories in one hundred battles is not the highest skill. To subdue the enemy without fighting is the highest skill.
It's not about the size of the ninja in the fight, but the size of the fight in the ninja.

Latios is a pretty good definition of Legendary Pokemon. The only thing Average about it is its Base 80 Defense. Barring that, Base 80 HP and 90 Attack are Above Average, Base 110 Sp.Def and Speed are Great, and Base 130 Sp.Atk is Beyond Godly. Add immunity to the EQ that so many Legendaries would carry and you've got a wrecking ball.

There are few Pokemon with enough Speed and power to take down Latios quickly. One strategy for taking it out is slamming a Physical STAB Ice-, Bug-, Ghost-, Dark-, or Dragon-Type into it. However, faster Pokemon with those STAB Types have problems - Scolipede and Ninjask lack power, Sneasel and Weavile are too frail to get in, and Darkrai and Accelgor are too Special-based, and Arceus has better Types to be. A better idea is to Paralyze Latios to nerf that Base 110 Speed, but you have few options - Pranksters like Whimsicott may be the best bet.